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Choosing colors in interior design is not just about picking
your favorite shades. The top color rules for home decorating can help you
achieve the look you want while still making sure you’re respecting some simple
tips for creating a comfortable space to live in.

Check out the most important color rules for home
decorating, and you’ll be able to make the right decisions when you’re choosing
shades for every element of interior design.

Don’t Ignore the 60-30-10
Rule

The fundamental rule that applies to any space sets the
correct color percentages for a room that’s really beautiful and comfortable.
The 60-30-10 rule states the right way to combine colors in a room includes:
60% a dominant color (walls), 30% a secondary color (furniture or upholstery)
and 10% an accent color. Using this simple tip, you’ll be able to create the
same proportions you see in design magazines.

Use the Color Wheel

One of the top color rules for home decorating lets you
choose between complementary colors and analogous covers on the color wheel.
Complementary colors (opposites on the color wheel) create a more formal look,
suited to the living room and dining room. Analogous colors (neighbors on the
colors wheel) are the right way to go for bedrooms and other rooms with a
restful vibe.

Balance Dark and
Light Colors Correctly

Since darker colors tend to look more heavy, the best way to
create a space you’ll love is to decorate vertically. Floors should have a
darker shade, walls lighter and the ceiling should always be lighter. This is
one of the best color rules for home
decorating, that ensures a natural atmosphere in the room, making it
comfortable and pleasant to live in.

Go for High Contrast

Just like complementary colors give a more formal look to a
room, contrast between the colors you choose also has a big impact in the way a
room feels. When you’re using a high contrast combination, like dark purple and
gold, you’re also setting a more formal and well defined tone in your space. Low
contrast, like green and yellow or gray and blue, makes for a less visually
striking and more restful space.

Use a Touch of Black

One of the best color
rules for home decorating states that every room should have one black detail.
Whether it’s a picture frame or part of a lamp, black always makes other colors
pop, enhancing them and adding a bit more definition to a space. You can also
add a white element in each room to enhance the contrast in a more subtle way,
but black always gets the job done.

Choose a Restful
Color for the Bedroom

Emotional response to color is also very important, because some
associations simply can’t be rationalized away. For instance a vibrant shade of
red will prove very tiresome in the bedroom, a space that’s supposed to have a
soothing vibe. The same goes for orange and bright yellow. Going for cooler
colors or dark shades is a much better choice for the bedroom.

Avoid Warm Shades in
the Dining Area

One of the emotional responses to color that you may be even
less aware of is that warm colors can enhance your appetite, while cool ones
keep it down. That’s why one of the smartest color rules for home decorating is
to use cooler colors for any dining space, whether it’s a full room or part of
the kitchen. If you surround yourself with reds, yellows and other warm colors
where you eat, colors that the fast food industry loves, you’ll find yourself
eating slightly bigger portions and snacking more frequently.

Test Drive Your
Colors

You can’t really “test drive” your furniture, upholstery and
window treatments, but seeing how the color feels in your space is very
important. Ask for samples in colors you’re thinking of using for a particular
room and place the sample in the space. Check it a few times in different
lighting to make an informed decision.

Pay Attention to the
Room’s Exposure

Choosing the right colors for a space should also take into
account the direction the windows face in any room. One of the most useful color
rules for home decorating advises you to use lighter colors in rooms with
northern exposure, because they have less natural light. The opposite is true for
rooms with southern exposure, where colors will look lighter than they are in
natural lighting.